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It’s that time of year again when we celebrate and acknowledge the contributions that Black people have made to American history. I don’t have cable or even an antenna so I’m sure I’ll miss out on the fine shows that will be aired on PBS and the History Channel detailing the integral role that Blacks have played in shaping the course of this nation. Okay, I know it seems like I’m being sarcastic when I say that, but I’m not. I recognize that Blacks are as much a part of America as baseball, apple pie and Chinese take out. America wouldn’t be America without Black people.

When this month comes along, a song usually pops into my head. A song by dance punk duo Death From Above 1979, appropiately titled, Black History Month. It’s a simple yet catchy little song that stays in your head long after you hear it. The video isn’t anything special, but the simple lyrics convey a clear message that speaks to the heart of the Black experience in America.

“Black History Month”

Can you remember a time when this city was
A great place for architects and dilettantes
A nice place for midwives and crossing guards
And on, and on…

Hold on children
Your mother and father are leaving

Do you remember a time when this pool was
A great place for waterwings and cannonballs
A nice place for astrologists and blow up dolls
And on, and on…

In a previous post, I shared a Thai country song from my childhood. As a kid, I never listened to Thai music besides what my parents played on the stereo. Now, with the internet, I can check out stuff that I never had access to in the past. Below are a few Thai songs that I wanted to share for no particular reason. I tried to find a variety of styles and most of them have subtitles. You might have no interest in Thai music. That’s alright. As they say in Thailand, Mai Pen Rai(Oh well). 🙂

This is from the Thai rock group, Bodyslam, who are huge in Thailand. This song and the look of the video takes me back to the 90s, which was a great decade for me.

This is an infectious Thai pop song by Palmy. I love the corny vibe of the video.

This is a very laid back song by Singto Numchok. It reminds me a lot of Jack Johnson. There’s some great shots from around Bangkok in this vid. I love his voice. There’s not many Thai singers that sing with the tone that he does.

Here’s a more traditional Thai song by Tai Thanawut, the singer that I posted before, to contrast the other songs, which are more modern sounding. It’s an old Thai song that he remade. Sorry, no subtitles with this one, but it’s a beautifully arranged song that I hope you can appreciate for the music alone.

And here’s a song by T-Pop group, FFK. This is not really my thing, but I wanted to include a good example of T-Pop for those that might be curious about this kind of music. This type music is mostly aimed at teens and I guess would be the Thai equivalent of Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber.

Well I hoped you checked out at least some of those songs, if for no other reason than just simple curiosity. There’ll be more random posts to come. 🙂

This is just a random post. I’ve been getting into other things over the past week and didn’t really find anything that I wanted to post about that fit into the framework of this blog. I’m not sure if this does either, but oh well.

Below is a video of an old Thai song from my childhood. It’s a country song from southern Thailand. I know that no one will understand the words, but I thought for the few that might like observing another way of life and also looking at the physical variety of peoples, it might be of some interest. And besides the story is pretty easy to follow in the video. Young lovers are torn apart after the girl leaves to pursue a new life in the city as a bar girl, forcing the heartbroken man to enter a life of celibacy as a monk – a classic Thai love story. 🙂

I’m not intending to make this blog a Thai-centric affair; it’s just where my mind is at right now.